When people don’t get the right care at the right time, their health can get worse, costs can go up, and patients and doctors feel overwhelmed. Long wait times, hard-to-reach specialists, and confusing care plans often leave people feeling stuck and unsure of what to do next. That’s why today’s healthcare leaders are stepping in to make things better—creating simple, smart ways to help primary care doctors quickly connect with specialists, so patients receive timely, effective treatment without unnecessary delays. These leaders focus on making healthcare easier to access, more connected, and more compassionate. By supporting doctors and guiding patients every step of the way, they are building a system that truly puts people first.
One such leader is Keith Pinter, CEO of AristaMD, who is driving the company’s mission to reshape how specialty care is delivered across the healthcare system. With a strong background in building and scaling technology enterprises, he combines strategy with deep healthcare insight to tackle pressing challenges like high costs, limited access to specialists, and the increasing demands placed on primary care providers. Under his leadership, AristaMD has grown beyond its original eConsult platform to offer SpecialtyCare360—a comprehensive specialty care coordination solution that helps doctors deliver better care through virtual tools, evidence-based care plans, coaching, and analytics. This platform makes it easier for patients to get the right care quickly and in the right setting.
As a result of Keith Pinter’s vision, AristaMD has significantly reduced unnecessary specialist referrals, cut down long wait times, and improved outcomes in critical areas such as cardiology and orthopedics. His leadership continues to strengthen AristaMD’s position as a trusted partner in value-based care, expanding its reach and driving lasting impact across the healthcare system. These efforts have translated into measurable success—delivering a meaningful increase in Net Promoter Score (NPS) and generating a 4:1 return on investment (ROI) for health system partners.
From Tech Entrepreneur to Healthcare Visionary
Keith Pinter began his career at Ameritech, a Fortune 10 telecom provider at the time, and then transitioned into the technology segment, where he built, acquired, and led several businesses, including service as president of Lido Capital Holdings. In 2010, He later shifted to healthcare, driven by the sector’s high costs—consuming 20% of U.S. GDP—yet poor global outcomes and rising clinician burnout.
Motivated to improve care delivery, reduce costs, and boost satisfaction for patients and providers, he took on leadership roles, including COO and Chief of Staff at Envision Physician Services, where he helped scale revenue from $800 million to $2.2 billion at a major hospital system by driving innovation. Pinter later co-founded RISE Healthcare, a value-based primary care platform acquisition enterprise that secured a nine-figure funding in 2022. As CEO and co-founder of Rise Health, he led the transition from fee-for-service to global risk arrangements, achieving significant reductions in Medical Loss Ratio (MLR), improving patient outcomes, and clinician satisfaction. He joined AristaMD for its strong foundation and mission to improve specialty care access.
Under Keith Pinter’s leadership, AristaMD has expanded with the launch of SpecialtyCare360, a platform that improves access, reduces costs, and drives better outcomes—advancing a stronger, more efficient healthcare system. He is advancing solutions that help overcome one of healthcare’s most persistent barriers: specialty care access. By equipping primary care providers to remain the quarterback of care with simplified, timely access to specialists, organizations keep care in-network, reduce unnecessary downstream costs, and strengthen value-based care models.
Patient-Centric Models
AristaMD was founded to provide primary care providers with timely access to specialty expertise through eConsults, addressing the shortage of specialists and long wait times. Under current leadership, this mission has expanded into a broader strategy to improve specialty care access, reduce costs, and keep primary care central to patient care. The company has evolved from offering eConsults to creating a full specialty care management ecosystem that supports providers and patients throughout their care journey.
This model helps close critical gaps in healthcare, particularly for older adults who often face delays, limited access, and poor provider coordination.
To address these issues, AristaMD introduced SpecialtyCare360—a comprehensive solution offering fast access to care via:
- Evidence-based care plans
- Alternative care settings
- Care coordination and support
- Advanced analytics
All of these are customizable for different populations. Today, AristaMD supports primary care organizations in value-based care models, especially in specialties like cardiology and orthopedics, where better coordination leads to improved outcomes and reduced costs. Notably, this patient-centered model has also strengthened provider trust and loyalty—reflected in increased NPS—and demonstrated a strong 4:1 return on investment for participating organizations.
Making Healthcare More Accessible and Affordable
Keith Pinter is a growth-driven leader driving meaningful change in healthcare through technology-enabled, clinically informed solutions. Guided by a clear mission to “bend the healthcare cost curve backward,” he drives rapid action to make healthcare more accessible, effective, and affordable.
At AristaMD, this mindset fuels a results-oriented culture. The team tackles real healthcare challenges with urgency, achieving outcomes like reducing specialist referrals by over 70%, speeding access to expert advice, and supporting quality care goals.
Collaboration is central to Keith Pinter’s approach. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, AristaMD partners closely with primary care providers to tailor services to their specific needs—an approach that underpins the company’s success and strong client relationships.
Strategic Partnerships to Expand Access and Value
While specific details about upcoming deals remain confidential, AristaMD’s strategic focus is centered on forming partnerships with top-tier virtual and in-person specialty care providers. The company actively collaborates—and plans future projects—with partners who serve at-risk primary care organizations. These partnerships closely align with AristaMD’s mission to support value-based care by improving patient outcomes and reducing overall healthcare costs.
Fast-Tracking Access to Specialist Expertise
AristaMD is transforming healthcare by addressing several critical issues at once, especially the wide gap between primary care and specialty care that often leads to delays, higher costs, and poor patient outcomes. In many cases, patients wait weeks or even months to see a specialist for conditions that could be managed within primary care if the right guidance were available. At the same time, specialists are overwhelmed with routine cases, leaving less time for patients who need advanced care.
AristaMD tackles this challenge by equipping primary care providers with the expert support they need to treat many cases directly, helping reduce the number of unnecessary specialist appointments by nearly two-thirds. The company’s solution, SpecialtyCare360, takes a comprehensive approach to specialty care management.
It offers:
- Virtual consultations and peer-to-peer eConsults
- Evidence-based care plans and care pathways
- Care coordination and coaching support
- Performance tracking and predictive analytics
This model streamlines the care process and empowers primary care providers to handle more complex cases confidently, helping to close the gap between different levels of care and improve overall outcomes.
Delivering the Right Care at the Right Time
Keith Pinter takes great pride in how AristaMD has evolved in the area of specialty care management. The company has moved beyond simply offering eConsults to developing a full suite of services through its SpecialtyCare360 platform.
SpecialtyCare360 now supports the entire patient journey through:
- Evidence-based care plans
- Access to alternative care settings
- Coordinated care support
- Health coaching
- Advanced analytics
- Network orchestration of top-tier specialists
This comprehensive solution ensures patients receive the right care at the right time, improving access, enhancing care coordination, and helping manage costs effectively.
Proactive Care
The current healthcare system tends to respond to issues after they arise. AristaMD takes a proactive approach by identifying at-risk patients early and ensuring they receive regular checkups, preventive care, and effective chronic disease management. Unlike others, AristaMD enhances the relationship between primary care providers (PCPs) and their patients, empowering PCPs through peer-to-peer eConsults with specialists.
Rather than immediately referring patients to specialists, primary care providers can first leverage eConsults to determine if specialty care is truly necessary. When it is, AristaMD facilitates timely virtual consultations—or in-person visits when clinically appropriate—ensuring patients remain connected to their trusted PCP while receiving expert guidance, care coordination, and ongoing monitoring. This approach helps patients recover faster, improves care continuity, and reduces unnecessary specialist visits.
AristaMD also leverages AI and advanced analytics to predict care needs, optimize resources, and identify the best care pathways. Their model keeps human connection central while using technology to deliver smarter, more efficient, and more satisfying care for doctors and patients.
Balancing Compliance and Innovation
At AristaMD, compliance and innovation go hand in hand. From the very beginning, the company has made compliance a core part of its foundation, which has allowed it to grow faster and bring new ideas to life with confidence. The eConsult platform is fully HIPAA-compliant and easily integrates with existing electronic health record (EHR) systems, making it simple for providers to use.
Every specialist working with AristaMD is board-certified and meets NCQA standards, ensuring high-quality and reliable care. Many of these experts also have ties to leading academic institutions, adding to the credibility and trust in the service. To stay ahead of changing healthcare regulations, AristaMD actively engages with policy experts and takes part in industry discussions. The legal and compliance teams work closely with the product development team, making sure that all new features meet current and upcoming regulatory standards.
73% of Cases Managed In-House
AristaMD has made a significant, measurable impact on healthcare by enhancing care delivery through its patient-centered, evidence-based model that fosters strong collaboration between specialists and primary care providers.
This integrated approach is driving meaningful improvements across several key areas:
- Faster Access to Care: AristaMD cuts specialty wait times from weeks to hours—over 50% of eConsults are done within 4 hours, all within 24, with appointments set in 48 hours.
- Greater Physician Efficiency: 73% of cases are resolved in-house with specialist input, supported by nurses who streamline routing and reduce admin tasks.
- Fewer Referrals: eConsults eliminate over half of routine referrals, with telehealth reducing another 20%, avoiding unnecessary visits.
- Better Outcomes: 20% of eConsults reveal new diagnoses, reducing ER visits, cardiac hospitalizations by 53%, pain by 65%, and opioid use by 60%.
- Lower Costs: Each eConsult saves ~$600, with 40% fewer surgical referrals and 49% lower imaging costs—ensuring quality, affordable care.
Focus on Outcomes, Not Just Ideas
Keith Pinter offers clear, actionable advice for aspiring leaders in healthcare technology, built on key principles. He advocates beginning with the problem to ensure efforts are aligned with solutions that address the clinical challenges faced in care delivery. Effective solutions, he says, must solve real problems, improve outcomes, and reduce costs. He advises aligning with existing workflows rather than disrupting them, as healthcare relies on trust and routine.
Measuring meaningful results—like outcomes, quality, and cost savings—is essential. Pinter views regulatory compliance as a trust-building tool, not a barrier, and emphasizes patience, given the slow pace of change in healthcare. He also urges future leaders to understand the business side—reimbursement models, value-based care, and decision-making—to better position their innovations and build strong partnerships.
Expanding Reach in Underserved and High-Adoption Markets
AristaMD is entering a strong growth phase, expanding its SpecialtyCare360 services to support at-risk primary care organizations across the U.S. As demand rises from senior care programs, independent practices, and integrated networks, the company is deepening its commitment to value-based care by helping primary care providers manage complex patients under capitated models.
To enhance care delivery, AristaMD is investing in AI and predictive analytics for early detection and better treatment decisions. Key priorities include expanding into underserved areas with high value-based care adoption and exploring global markets. To address the growing burden of chronic disease, the company is also launching tailored virtual programs for conditions like diabetes, heart failure, and kidney disease.
Through this evolution, AristaMD is delivering on its vision of an intelligent care ecosystem—one that ensures timely, coordinated, cost-effective, and high-quality care.
Personal Loss Fuels a Passion
Keith Pinter is driven by the real-world impact of his work, whether it’s helping primary care providers make critical diagnoses or reducing patient wait times for specialist care. His loss of his father to neurodegenerative diseases gives him a deep appreciation for timely, quality healthcare, fueling his commitment to improving care delivery. Staying connected with the doctors using AristaMD’s platform keeps him focused, while the fast-paced innovation in healthcare technology inspires him to tackle long-standing issues with data and digital tools. Leading a mission-driven team adds to his motivation. With healthcare accounting for nearly 20% of the U.S. economy yet remaining inefficient, Keith Pinter sees a major opportunity to drive meaningful change and build a better, more accessible system.
Keith Pinter’s 5 Impactful Business Lessons
- Solve real problems first: Innovation starts by understanding actual needs.
- Focus on measurable outcomes: Ideas must improve results, not just sound good.
- Fit into existing workflows: Ease of use drives adoption and trust.
- Scale with compliance in mind: Smart growth respects rules and builds trust.
- Keep people at the center: Success follows when you prioritize human impact.
